Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies, located on Airways, was started seven years ago by a family that had a thing for homemade cookies.
Morris and Willie Mae Hill named the bakery after their daughter Makeda, who died of leukemia when she was 6 years old.
Today, the business is growing. Morris’ brother Maurice and his wife Pamela have taken over the business and recently added a second location on Raleigh-LaGrange. They’re planning to open a third one in the Hickory Hill area.
On the menu at Makeda’s are a dozen different cookies — peanut butter, double-chocolate-chip pecan, macadamia nut, and oatmeal are just a few of the choices. The bakery also offers special-occasion cookies and character cookies for children, such as SpongeBob SquarePants, Elmo, and Dora the Explorer. All cookies are made from scratch and baked in small batches throughout the day. And if you don’t want to splurge on a dozen cookies for $12.99, you can buy six for $7.50, three for $4, or one for $1.40.
Both Makeda locations are open Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. to
9 p.m. Check out their Web site at www.makedascookies.com.
Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies, 2370 Airways (745-2667)
5729 Raleigh-LaGrange (380-5250)
Haven’t had your fill of cookies? Then don’t miss the Hope House Cookie Carnival and Silent Auction on Saturday. Once you’ve had all the cookies and milk your stomach can handle, you can tour the facilities, located at 23 Idlewild, and learn about the support that Hope House provides for children with HIV and AIDS and their families.
Author and talk-show host Ed Horrell will be in charge of the carnival games and prizes for children. The silent auction will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults, $2 for kids, and children under 2 years are free. For more information, call 272-2707 ext. 216.
Hope House Cookie Carnival and Silent Auction, August 19th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
If you come from a family of “foodies,” with two generations of women as recipe testers, odds are you’ll be working in the business too. Laura Barrett, a native of Chicago, did escape her fate for a while when she worked in the fashion industry. Last year, however, she decided it was time to follow in her grandmother and mother’s footsteps and make food her full-time profession. To supplement what she learned from her mother and grandmother, she enrolled at the Memphis Culinary Academy. Then, when the Memphis Farmers Market opened, Barrett used it as an opportunity to establish a business and client base.
Bun in the Oven sells baked goods that Barrett learned to make as a child. To get ready for the Saturday market, Barrett spends hours baking cobblers, cookies, muffins, quick breads, and other sweet treats. “My rhubarb cobblers are really popular,” Barrett says. “Currently, I make strawberry rhubarb and peach rhubarb but also raspberry and three-berry cobblers.” A childhood favorite that Barrett sells at the market are carmelitas — a delicious bar cookie with a tender oatmeal crust that bursts with caramel and chocolate. No chance to withstand that temptation.
In addition to selling her goods at the Farmers Market, Barrett takes orders for all of her baked goods and wedding- and special-occasion cakes.
Bun in the Oven, www.bunintheovenmemphis.com (833-5188)
For a quick trip to Great Britain you don’t have to travel far: You have can a bit of English culture at The Peabody’s afternoon tea at Chez Philippe. Guests select a variety of teas, tea sandwiches, assorted pastries, and flavored breads from the Peabody Pastry Shop for $26.95 per person.
Through September 24th, The Peabody is offering Tea for Two, Two for Tea, a joint promotion with the Dixon Gallery & Gardens’ “The Artful Teapot” exhibition.
Peabody Afternoon Tea, Tuesdays through Saturdays 2 to 3 p.m. (529-4188)
